Rope repelled more than rabble

Someone needs to take aside Hillary Clinton, her campaign advisers, or both, and ask them these two questions:

1. Have you never before run a political campaign?

2. Have you never before campaigned in New Hampshire?

We all know the answers: Of course they have run a political campaign. Two of them. Of course they have campaigned in New Hampshire, in 2008.

Once they’ve answered those questions, then we have to ask them this: Just what were you thinking in Gorham on July 4?

Except we already know the answer to that: They weren’t thinking. They put aside, at least for that day, any thought of thinking and instead, did something … well, stupid is the best word we can find.

Clinton marched in Gorham’s July 4 pa­rade but she marched behind a rope held by her minions to keep, they said, the press from crowding her so that the pub­lic could see her better. What nonsense.

Clinton behind that rope looked im­perial. She was reminiscent of Queen Victoria paraded through the streets of London in a carriage surrounded by the Horse Guard to keep away the rabble.

Contrast her with Jeb Bush who, in Am­herst, shook hands, posed for pictures and marched as if he actually wanted to be there among potential voters.

We have long supported Hillary Clinton for president. Indeed, many months be­fore 2008, we editorialized in favor of her running and we endorsed her in the 2008 New Hampshire Primary.

Now? Well … at the moment, there is no viable Democratic alternative but if the primary were next week and we were ex­pected to endorse a candidate, we don’t know that we could in conscience en­dorse Clinton right now.

We hope that if Clinton marches in Mil­ford’s Labor Day parade she will eschew the rope and arrive with new advisors.